Culinary products and experiences inspired from getting Out of Abilene with nods to good stuff coming Out of Abilene. Plus, food stories/histories.

Somewhere between life and death

Entre el sol y la sombra. A bull passes between shade and sun, June 19, 2014, at the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza in Sevilla, Spain.

There is little doubt how this will end, but in this moment captured by ones and zeros there is fleeting hope – some time left on the clock, some sun remaining into which the bull may escape before the cape and sword end all pursuits in a final eclipse.

There is fodder here for those who decry the barbarity of the sport and its traditions, and there is a nod to the art that its proponents defend.

It isn’t my favorite peak action shot from my Summer 2014 trip with my sister or an image that romanticizes the event, but it is my favorite image from La Corrida.

For me, it is an image of contrast with little discernible middle ground – a razor thin, tenuous line between humanity and my adoration of art, culture and tradition that I find myself straddling every time I attend these events.

Has anyone else attended the bullfights or encierro? Thoughts? Observations?

Matador Pepe Moral, June 19, 2014, at the Plaza de Toros de La Maestranza in Sevilla, Spain.

Matador Pepe Moral, June 19, 2014, at the Plaza de Toros de La Maestranza in Sevilla, Spain.

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Somewhere between life and death”

My dad and I used to go to the bullfights every Sunday in Juarez while I was growing up in El Paso. To some, it might appear to be brutal. To me, I was enthralled by the beauty of the animal, the courage of the participants and the pageantry.

Randy,
Thanks for the comment and visit. I hope to post a slideshow from the event in the not-too-distant future. Less an essay or story than a collection of photographs. I also have gigabytes of photos from the rest of the trip. Keep checking back. I will also post links on my facebook account. If you have content suggestions, please drop me a line. If you wind up enjoying the content, please share OutofAbilene.com with others and hit “like” (It helps more people see the content and, as a small benefit, feeds my fragile ego.)